Stalked..
by balurinagirl
Summary: Everyone's favourite New London Munkustrap finds that there's a fine line between fan and fanatic..
1. Kim

"I love you."   
  
The short note was written in the same childish script his daughter used - rounded letters, the "o" in the word "love" fashioned into a heart. Alex Epstein, the New  
London Theater's current Munkustrap smiled as he set the card aside and looked briefly at the bouquet of flowers before setting those, too, on the adjacent end  
table.   
  
"There's a vase in Mike's dressing room. I'll put them in some water for you and put them in the Green Room?" offered Jodi, a red-haired stage assistant. She knew  
that Alex's own dressing room was overflowing with flowers.   
  
"Thanks, Jodi," Alex said as the young woman gathered up the bouquet and left.   
  
Dropping into the chair next to Alex, Colin, already in full Alonzo regalia, picked up the small pink card and mimicked, "I love you" in a sing-song voice.   
  
"Everyone loves me," said Alex, grinning smugly. "I'm entirely loveable."   
  
"Well, you may have gotten flowers, but yesterday a girl brought me chocolates. *Godiva* chocolates."   
  
"You didn't eat them, did you?"   
  
Colin looked at him. "They're in their original package...it's safe." He shrugged. "It's bad enough we can't accept fan mail since September 11th...I'd hate to start  
turning away gifts the fans *personally* bring to the shows."   
  
"Yeah." Alex rubbed his eyes and yawned. He turned to face Colin. "They must be almost ready for us...I'm gonna go do some stretching before we start."   
  
"Okay. See ya out there."   
  
"Right." Alex wandered out into the hallway of the back stage area of the New London. He could just barely hear the hum of the audience as they were guided to  
their seats by eager, efficient pages. In these last several minutes before showtime, he always felt a slight case of butterflies in his stomach. It didn't matter that once  
the cameras were rolling the butterflies were instantly gone. Alex still expected a pre-show case of nerves and he always got them. He suspected they all did,  
although it was something they never discussed.   
  
Walking down the hallway a bit, Alex stopped and began to stretch his legs and back in hopes that his body would comfortably endure the close to three-hour show  
of CATS that was to come. He winced somewhat as he leaned over to touch his toes; he couldn't quite reach at first but he forced himself to push slightly harder,  
reaching slightly further until he achieved his goal, placing his fingertips on his grey and white dance shoes.   
  
"Ahhhh," Alex exhaled, momentarily placing his hands on his knees before easing himself into an upright position. The hum of the crowd was growing louder and he  
could hear the sound system being tested. He took a deep breath and continued to make his way down the hall, ready to perform.   
  
**************   
  
The evening began with the usual, right up until Grizabella's entrance. The quiet music of the intorduction began, causing a brief lull, during which a female voice  
shouted out, "I love you, Alex!"   
  
The audience burst out laughing and Karen Sawyer looked rather bewildered and not just a little annoyed at her entrance being spoiled. Colin took the opportunity  
to slink down into the audience, a priveledge not many other performers of various musicals had. The woman who'd cried out sat in the first row.   
  
"Are you the one who gave him those flowers?" he asked the owner of the voice in a bemused tone.   
  
"Yes," she breathed excitedly, squirming in her seat.   
  
"What's your name?" Colin asked in a whisper, peering at her.   
  
"Kim."   
  
Colin's amused interrogation was interrupted by a hard poke in the side, where an upset-looking Munkustrap lurked, having been relieved of his Grizabella-watching  
while Demeter, one Kelly Turner, sang her solo.   
  
"Really...thanks for the flowers. They're very nice," he said sincerely.   
  
Kim looked up at him intently. Alex noticed her lashes were covered in too much mascara and seemed unnaturally thick, but other than that she was fresh-faced and  
pretty.   
  
"I do love you, you know," she said in a clear, firm voice over the din of the crowd. "I *love* you."   
  
Alex's mouth opened slightly, but he could only continue to stare into her deep blue eyes. Finally, he simply said, "Gotta go!" and fled to the safety of the stage.   
  
As the crowd continued to clap appreciatively, Colin leaned over and whispered to Alex, "That was intense...you should have worn your wedding ring tonight."   
  
Alex rolled his eyes and instinctively pulled at his bare ring finger. Cats don't wear rings..one of the number one rules of the costume supervisors. He cupped his hand  
over his mouth so his lips could not be read, and whispered back to Colin.   
  
"She was a little creepy. She looked right through me."   
  
"Well, you're entirely loveable," Colin teased.   
  
**************************   
  
Alex could smell bacon frying. He rolled over and resisted opening his eyes for as long as possible. The children's giggles wafted through the bungalow and he smiled  
to himself as Sara's laughter rang out soon after. Finally, he turned over on his back and allowed his eyes to greet the morning. Glancing at the bedside clock, he saw  
that it was 7:00 am. He had to be back at the theater by 9:00 for the afternoon's matinee.   
  
Sara appeared in the doorway, her brown hair still wet from her shower and hanging in ringlets over her shoulders. "Come on, sleepyhead. "I'm making you some  
breakfast."   
  
Alex groaned and rolled over again, but on the inside he was touched. Sara was by no means a morning person, but during heavy performance cycles such as these,  
she always got up with him extra early and made him breakfast so they'd have some time together before he had to go to work. Now she threw herself onto the bed  
and tugged unsuccessfully at his pillow before finally taking her own and whacking him over the head with it.   
  
"I said, "come on, sleepyhea..." she barely got the words out before Alex suddenly pulled her down beside him, eventually pinning her on her back.   
  
Laughing, they wrestled around for a bit on their queen-sized bed. They each let out an annoyed grunt as the telephone rang. Sara loosened her grip on Alex's collar  
and reached for the phone.   
  
"Hello?" she answered. There was a brief pause, and she said again, "Hello...?" She looked at her husband and shrugged before hanging up. "Nobody there."   
  
"Oh, well..." Alex sat up and ran a hand through his hair. He grinned at Sara. "I'm starved. Let's go eat."   
  
****************************   
  
At the studio, a blue-blazered page greeted Alex as he helped himself to coffee at the craft services table.   
  
"Note for you," he said politely, handing Alex a postcard. Letters in envelopes were no longer permitted inside the studio gates. Alex instantly recognized the  
handwriting on the card as Kim's, although the message was not signed. The card read: "Thanks for last night. It meant the world to me. See you soon."   
  
Alex turned the card over. On the front was a picture of panda bear holding a pink heart. The caption beneath read, "I love you." A magic marker had been used to  
turn the "o" into a heart.   
  
"Meant the world to me?" Alex repeated, raising an eyebrow. "It was just a coupl'a words." He bit his lip and stuck the card in his jeans pocket, not wanting anyone  
else to see it. He was embarrassed by the idea of having such an ardent fan; it was one of those trappings of theater and television that simply made him  
uncomfortable. He didn't want to visit the web sites that were devoted to him, or hear that college students were keeping scrapbooks full of his photograph. It all just  
seemed so bizarre; he was only a man, after all. He wished he could be like Mike, the current Mungojerrie, who had no trouble being gracious and warm to his fans  
despite his shyness. Mike was like some sort of god on the Internet, yet he took it all in stride. Having a complete stranger say "I love you" didn't faze him in the least.  
  
The players, minus a busy Karen, went out for an early lunch around 11:30 am. By 12:30 they returned to the theater, knowing Mikayla Callaghan, their director,  
would be getting antsy. The show was due to start at 2 o'clock. In the parking lot, Greg did his imitation of Mikayla pacing around "like a wind-up doll".   
  
"You guys are terrible," Kelly admonished through her laughter. Shielding her eyes from the sun with one hand and pointing with the other, she suddenly looked at  
Alex. "Hey, isn't that your number one fan coming this way? The girl with the flowers?"   
  
Alex, who had been leaning against Kelly's car, stood up straight and looked in the direction to which she was pointing. Sure enough, there was Kim, striding  
purposefully across the lot in high heels and a short denim skirt. She swung a small purse at her side.   
  
Greg whistled playfully. "Whoa, Epstein, she's back for more, dude."   
  
"Shut up...hi there," Alex addressed the young lady as she approached.   
  
"Hi." Kim nodded politely at the others. "Just came to line up for my seat." Her voice reminded Alex of the high notes on a flute.   
  
"Better hurry," Greg told her. "The line-up's pretty long already...we saw it on our way in."   
  
But Kim was too busy looking at Alex to hear him. "Did you get my note?"   
  
Alex paused and unconsciously stuck his right hand in his pocket. "Yes...thanks. But - it wasn't necessary." He stared at Kim, trying to remember if there was some  
other encounter they'd had, something that would make this woman think there was any other connection between them besides a short whispered exchange in front  
of 300 spectators.   
  
"You were sweet to me last night...I appreciate it."   
  
"Uhh...well, you're welcome." Alex smiled down at her. "Look, we have to go in now and get ready for the show."   
  
"We'll talk again," Kim stated simply as she gave a careless shrug. "I'll see you inside." She beamed up at Alex, but not before reaching out and giving his arm a  
squeeze. As she did, she gave him the look that had made him uncomfortable the night before - the determined, piercing stare that made her eyes look inhuman.   
  
As she walked away without so much as a glance behind her, Wayne, Carbucketty, shook his head incredulously at Alex.   
  
"Man, that's some case of puppy love," he said with a smirk.   
  
"I'll say," Kelly added with an amused grin. "Did you see the look in her eyes?"   
  
Alex crumpled the note in his pocket. "Yeah," he replied dully, "I did."   
  
By the time the two o'clock performance began, Alex had put Kim out of his mind and was feeling good. At the bginning of "Jellicle Songs", entering for his first line,  
he gazed over the spectators for a second.   
  
Suddenly, a familiar face caught his eye. He realized with a sinking feeling that it was Kim, this time in the front row by the ramp, mere feet from where he stood. She  
smiled at him without showing any teeth. Her blue eyes looked even more intense than they had earlier in the parking lot. She held in her lap a toy panda. She stared  
at Alex and mouthed, "I love you."   
  
Alex felt his grip on his tail, which he picked up out of habit, tightening. Kim was by no means the first female fan to have a crush on him; some of his fans showed up  
at all of his appearances and requested hugs, which he always gave without protest despite how awkward it made him feel. But there was something different about  
Kim, something about the way she stared that was all too serious and determined, as though he were a valuable commodity she simply had to have. He swallowed  
hard as he realized the song had begun. He realized, as well, that he'd missed his intro and the orchestra had started again. He glanced at Colin, who gave him a  
bemused stare in return.   
  
For the rest of the afternoon he fought to keep himself from looking into the audience. All he could see was the glassy stare of the toy panda.   
  
The next day, Alex was still trying to get over his carelessness during "Jellicle Songs." Of all the players, he was the hardest on himself when he performed to a  
standard of anything less than perfection. The others had teased him a little about his "spacing out", because teasing each other came as naturally to them as  
breathing. But none of them went too far in the teasing whenever Alex's performance was concerned, as they knew how deeply he felt it and how personally he took  
it. Now he sat alone in his dressing room, flipping through the magazine he'd bought earlier, before settling in to read the entire thing. After a few minutes he was so  
engrossed he barely noticed a knock at his door.   
  
"Come in," he called out, not taking his eyes off his reading.   
  
"I came to give you a fresh pot of coffee. I'll set it here on your table," came a female voice.   
  
Stage Assistants were in and out all the time. Alex had little reason to look up except that he'd been raised to be courteous.   
  
"Thank you," he said, turning to face the speaker. His magazine fell to the floor and a gasp escaped from his lips as he realized he was staring into the face of Kim.  
She wore the long blue blazer and short skirt typical of a New London assistant. She gingerly set the coffee pot next to Alex's chair and blinked her long lashes at  
him.   
  
"Isn't it great, Green Eyes? My application was accepted. I work here now!"   
  
Alex looked blankly at her, not knowing what to say. She smiled patiently.   
  
"Now we can really get to know each other!"   
  
Finding his voice, Alex blinked back at her before speaking.   
  
"What's going on here?"   
  
"What do you mean, darling?"   
  
Alex jerked back slightly at the word "darling". He stood up and stepped a few paces away from her.   
  
"I mean...what are you doing? Are you - are you following me? Do you want something from me?"   
  
Kim laughed as though she were dealing with a small, slow child. "Darling, I have watched you in musicals and on TV since I was a teenager. I always knew we had  
a special connection, and that one day, when the time was right, we could be friends...and then, someday, more than friends." She cocked her head slightly. "The  
time is now...yesterday was my 21st birthday."   
  
"Happy Birthday," Alex muttered numbly.   
  
"Thanks. Can I pour us some coffee?"   
  
"Um, no...listen, miss..."   
  
"Kim. It's Kim," she said in a hurt voice.   
  
"Kim...I'm sorry. You've got to leave. Whatever you're thinking, it can't be. I'm a married man."   
  
Kim blinked back sudden tears and Alex felt an unexpected pang of sympathy for her. Just then, Mark Cohen, the Head Stage Manager appeared in the doorway.  
He'd heard the entire exchange.   
  
"I'm afraid you've broken rule number one," he said sternly to Kim. "No bothering the performers." He shook his head. "For Pete's Sake, you've only been here an  
hour."   
  
"I'm sorry," Kim said desperately, the tears reappearing. "I won't do it again, I promise."   
  
"Sorry. We have a zero tolerance policy for this kind of thing around here. You were warned of that when you were interviewed. Come with me, please."   
  
Kim looked helplessly at Alex, her eyes pleading for help. Alex looked down at the floor, feeling guilty but at the same time knowing this was the best thing for both  
of them. He watched as Mark led her out the door to turn in her blazer. The man returned, alone, some time later.   
  
"Sorry about that, Alex. I trusted she'd been screened better than that. We just needed somebody quickly."   
  
"It's alright, Mark."   
  
"Are you okay?"   
  
"Yes..."   
  
"Look, I know everyone's worried about their personal safety these days," Mark went on. "That's why I feel so badly about this. But she was just a star-struck little  
girl with a crush on you...and now she's gone. So try not to think about it anymore, okay? This kinda stuff is just gonna happen sometimes." He chuckled. "Like that  
woman who flashed Dave in Vegas last year, remember?"   
  
Alex looked at Mark and nodded, smiling at the memory. "Yeah. It happens," he conceded, shrugging. "Thanks for taking care of it."   
  
Mark patted him on the shoulder and left quietly. Alex closed his eyes and tried, unsuccessfully, to erase Kim's image from his mind. 


	2. The End

"The little girl with the Mimi-mascara got a job as an intern so she could get close to you?" Greg howled his characteristic laugh as he sat with his castmates at a table  
in back of the bar.   
  
"Greg, shut up and listen...she said we have a connection," Alex said in a low voice.   
  
Drew shook his head impatiently. "Man, fans say that kinda stuff all the time. I have 'connections' with women in every state. What's the big deal? Okay, so this girl  
took it a step further and actually got into your dressing room...she was just showing ingenuity, like those teenagers they found hiding in that clothes hamper at Tom  
Cruise's hotel." Drew chuckled. "That's what happens when you become a sex symbol...even a sex symbol that looks like you, buddy!"   
  
"It's different...Col, you remember the first night when she came up to hug me. You thought she was freaky, too, right?" Alex looked at his friend for support.   
  
Colin thought Alex was overreacting; after all, he himself had been the recipient of all manner of gifts and outpourings of love from females from their teens to their  
thirties. While he felt their behaviour was somewhat obsessive, he also felt it was basically harmless. Nonetheless, the look in Alex's eyes was so needy and  
desperate that Colin's sense of loyalty won out over his common sense.   
  
"Yeah," he agreed, sipping his martini. "She was freaky."   
  
Greg and Drew snorted simultaneously, with Greg giving Alex a friendly punch in the arm.   
  
"Don't fear your fans, man...embrace them. It's unconditional love...where else do you get that except from your pets?"   
  
Everyone laughed, including Colin in spite of himself. Alex swigged his beer sullenly and Drew changed the subject.   
  
********************   
  
The next afternoon, Alex was startled as he emerged from the back door of the studio to find Kim waiting for him.   
  
"Hi!" she said in her chirpiest voice. She wore a long black skirt and a yellow, loose-fitting peasant blouse. Her mascara-laden lashes were flaking in the heat.   
  
"Kim," Alex said, almost in a whisper.   
  
"I've been waiting here since this morning. I figured you'd have to come out eventually." She winked at him and licked her pink lips. "I came to tell you there are no  
hard feelings about the other day. I know you couldn't defend me because then everyone would know our feelings for each other...I forgive you for letting me lose  
my job."   
  
Alex swallowed. "Kim, I - I don't *have* feelings for you."   
  
The young woman smiled, her eyes dancing in the sunshine. "You will. In time. I love you so much, Alex... can we go someplace and talk?"   
  
Alex inhaled sharply. "Kim, I'm flattered...I really am...but like I said, I have a wife and I have children. Look, do you want me to get you a picture or something? If  
you leave your address I'll make sure it gets to you."   
  
"Who needs a picture when the real thing's right here?" She reached out and touched his arm lightly. Alex moved it away, trying not to appear obvious in doing so but  
failing.   
  
"I'm going in, now," he said. "Please...don't wait for me here anymore, okay?"   
  
"Okay, Alex."   
  
Surprised at how quickly she'd given in, Alex was unconvinced. "Really...okay? The other guys'll get jealous." He forced a laugh. On one level he was still trying  
desperately to believe that this really was nothing more than a harmless crush. If he kept things light, maybe Kim would lighten up, too.   
  
Kim laughed heartily. "You're so funny, Alex," she said. She winked at him as she turned to go. "You'll come to love me, darling. In time." She walked away briskly,  
leaving Alex alone in the parking lot.   
  
*******************   
  
"I'm ho-ome!" Sara called. She entered the kitchen and set a bag of groceries on the counter. With her other hand she carried an elaborate gift basket by the handle  
and walked into the den where Alex sat in front of the TV.   
  
"Hi," he said, glancing up from "Battlebots". "What's that basket?"   
  
"It's addressed to you. I found it on the front steps."   
  
Puzzled, Alex took the basket from Sara and set it on the coffee table. He glanced at the card and stifled a gasp at the now all-too-familiar handwriting. This time the  
message had a menacing quality: "I love you. I want you. I'll have you."   
  
"Why would this come to you at home?" Sara wondered aloud, unphased by the written declaration of love. After all, she'd been with this "celebrity" for over twenty  
years, and as she'd often said dryly, 'had seen it all.' "Surely they're not diverting fan stuff to private homes now," she continued. " *That* hardly helps the security  
problem."   
  
"I don't know," said Alex quietly.   
  
Sara scanned the contents of the basket without removing the clear wrap which covered it. "Fancy chocolates...dried fruits...look, a little toy panda, how cute." Sara  
looked at her husband, who had turned a shade whiter. "I don't think we should eat any of this, but it's a sweet thought...honey, what's wrong?"   
  
Before Alex could reply, the ringing of the telephone made him jump. Sara narrowed her brown eyes inquisitively at him before picking it up. Once again, there was  
no response from the caller.   
  
Sara sighed and shook her head as she finally hung up. "That's been happening since yesterday...all I hear is soft music in the background but nobody speaks."   
  
Alex frowned, wanting to tell Sara everything but afraid she'd think he was crazy, too.   
  
"Must be some kids," he muttered, turning his attention again to the gift basket. "It'll stop eventually."   
  
**************************************   
  
Colin read the latest note several times before handing it back over to Alex, listening as his friend repeated the conversation he'd had with Kim outside the studio.   
  
"It's like she's obsessed with you," Colin said with a hint of disbelief.   
  
"No kidding. What am I gonna do?"   
  
"I don't know. Just try to ignore her, I guess. She'll get the hint and go away."   
  
"What makes you think so?"   
  
"Because you made it clear you're not interested. Groupies don't hang around if they think they're not gonna- you know, *get* anything."   
  
"Since when are you the expert on groupies?"   
  
"I've been around," Colin said defensively.   
  
"Oh, God..." Alex rolled his eyes.   
  
Colin sighed. "Alex, you do have a tendency to be paranoid about things sometimes...that's why I think you should just calm down and try not to overreact to this."   
  
"So you think I'm crazy. Great. Well, what about the phone calls? How do you explain those?"   
  
"I can't..." Colin began.   
  
"Then I'm not crazy..."   
  
"I never said you were!"   
  
"So what's your definition of paranoia? You think this is all in my head, just like everyone else." Alex stood up and took a cautious glance out the door before  
continuing. "Well, I'm not crazy. This *girl* is crazy. How'd she get my address?"   
  
"Everyone knows you live in the heritage house...it's a wonder more fans haven't shown up at your door." Colin folded his arms, looking almost defiantly at Alex as  
though he could somehow scold him out of his anxiety.   
  
"And my unlisted phone number?"   
  
"Maybe it's not her calling you. Until you have proof, you can't let this woman scare you...it'll take over your life."   
  
Alex took a deep breath. "If she's in the audience tonight..."   
  
"Don't worry...she won't be."   
  
"How do you know?" Alex demanded, growing irritation evident in his voice.   
  
"I don't know," Colin admitted after a pause. "But you just can't let her get to you. You've got to focus." When the look on Alex's face didn't change, Colin's tone  
softened.   
  
"Look," he said, "if she shows up again, just get her banned from the theater. It's easy to do."   
  
Alex nodded without looking his friend in the eye. He didn't want to see the expression of pity Colin gave him whenever they flew on planes together, and Alex had  
his head in the airsick bag. He felt as though he was becoming the King of Irrational Fears. "I will," he said quietly.   
  
"Are you gonna be okay?"   
  
"Yeah."   
  
The red light in Alex's dressing room flashed, indicating it was time for them to go on. The walk down the hallway seemed endless as the hum of the crowd took on a  
threatening buzz. Palms sweaty, Ryan stood behind the stage curtain and waited for The Overture.   
  
**********************************   
  
Alex planned to change his clothes as quickly as he could and go straight to the bar with the others. He'd just tossed his unitard aside and pulled his golf shirt over his  
head when his door abruptly opened and Kim literally slithered inside. She was breathing heavily and looked flushed and mildly surprised, as though she couldn't  
believe she'd reached her destination.   
  
Alex stared at her, equally surprised. "How did you get in here?"   
  
Kim smiled as she quickly regained her composure. "I was very careful...there's so much fuss out there...it was easy to get to you."   
  
"What do you want?" Alex asked in a hollow voice. He felt as though they were the only two people left on earth, and it was a lonely, miserable feeling.   
  
"I told you...I want you."   
  
"Listen, Kim...I'm sure you're a nice person...but like I told you before, I'm married."   
  
"I know," Kim responded plaintively.   
  
"You've got to stop giving me stuff and - and following me around ..."   
  
"Didn't you like my basket?" Kim tossed her black hair and blinked rapidly at him, waiting for an answer.   
  
"It was lovely...but you can't come to my house. I have a family."   
  
"I know that. I know all about you, Green Eyes. I watched your kids in the school yard yesterday."   
  
Alex felt his heart fall to the pit of his stomach. Anger welled up inside of him and he struggled to get his words out.   
  
"My kids? You're watching my kids?!"   
  
"Yes, darling..."   
  
"Stop it! Dammit, stop calling me 'darling'! I want you to stay the hell away from my family, do you understand me? And I want you to stop calling my house!" Alex's  
voice shook.   
  
"Don't yell at me, Alex...you don't have to leave your family...you can have it all...I'll fit into your life however you want me to."   
  
"I want you to get out! If I see you here again I'm calling the cops! I don't even want you in the audience, do you get it?"   
  
Tears formed again in Kim's eyes. "Don't, Alex...please...I love you. And I'll love Mackenzie and Sammy, too."   
  
"Get out!" Alex screamed, his eyes blazing.   
  
Kim looked at him as though he'd slapped her. "Okay," she said. "I'll leave." She turned and slithered back out the door. Alex stood shaking, feeling that getting her  
to leave had been suspiciously easy. He sat on the edge of his couch for a several minutes, his heart racing as he contemplated calling security. But it wasn't as though  
he could have her arrested. She hadn't done anything wrong, legally speaking.   
  
Opening his door cautiously, Alex heard something crumple beneath his shoe. He looked down at what he'd stepped on. It was a small stuffed panda bear, its glassy  
eyes removed and replaced with two Xs drawn on with a black marker. The bear clutched a dead rose. Its petals had crumbled under the weight of Ryan's foot.  
Lifting the small bear from the floor, Ryan noticed a note tucked into the red ribbon around its neck. He shuddered as he read: "I know where you live. If I can't have  
you, neither will they."   
  
*************   
  
"Get out of the house. Get into the car and take the kids to a hotel. Just do it, Sara!" Alex cried desperately into the phone. He waited for Sara's reluctant assent and  
then slammed down the receiver, trembling with fear.   
  
"It'll be okay, Alex," Drew assured him. "The police will be at your house before you know it."   
  
Alex slumped onto the couch and placed his head in his hands. "Oh, God...if she hurts them...if she hurts them, I'll kill her. I swear I'll kill her."   
  
"She won't. Everything will be okay." Colin sat down beside Alex and put his arm around him. He was trying to be brave for Alex's sake but the sight of the  
crumpled rose petals and the mangled face of the panda bear sent chills down his spine. He lamented not having taken Alex's concerns more seriously in the first  
place. Now it might be too late.   
  
Greg sat silently in a chair opposite the others. He looked guiltily at Drew as he remembered the evening in the bar and they way they'd mocked Alex for not  
enjoying the "unconditional love" of his fan.   
  
"Hand me the phone...I wanna call home and make sure Sara's not there." Alex took the receiver from Drew and dialed quickly. After several unanswered rings,  
during which he barely allowed himself to breathe, he was satisfied the house was empty.   
  
"They must have left," Alex said, his voice catching in his throat.   
  
"See?" said Colin. "They're on their way to a hotel. They're safe." He made Alex look him in the eye and repeated firmly, "They're safe, Alex."   
  
But Alex was still biting his nails nervously. "I bet Kim knows what our car looks like...what if she's following them?"   
  
"Don't do this to yourself..." Kelly placed a hand on Ryan's knee to stop the man's leg from shaking.   
  
The group sat silently for several minutes, unspoken thoughts weighing down the room like slabs of concrete. Before long the police arrived, assuring Alex that a  
squad car had also been sent to his home. The officers took Alex's statement and departed, telling him to hang onto Kim's various notes for evidence should the need  
arise. All that was left to do was wait; Alex did not want to leave the studio because he expected Sara to phone him there once she checked into the hotel. Instead,  
less than an hour later a call came from the police officers with whom he had just been speaking. A woman matching Kim's description had been involved in a car  
accident in the Valley; she had apparently run another vehicle off the road. The description of the car matched that of Alex's.   
  
**********************************   
  
Alex sat stoically in the waiting room of London General Hospital. The faces of his wife and children flashed before his eyes, and the tinkly voice of Kim grated in his  
head. He felt as though he had failed his family. If they were injured, it was because of him. If they'd been killed, it was because of him.   
  
"Why didn't I move them back to Scotland when I had the chance?" he asked himself, rubbing his temples. "None of this would have happened."   
  
"It's not your fault," Colin said gently, startling Alex, who'd been unaware of having spoken out loud.   
  
A young-looking police officer appeared and sat opposite them. Alex clenched his hands into fists and kept them tightly at his side. He felt he had to physically brace  
himself for what was to come.   
  
The officer showed him a photo."Is this the woman who was stalking you, Mr. Epstein?"   
  
"Y-yes," Alex stammered. "That's Kim."   
  
The officer nodded. "Kim Harwood...I'm afraid she didn't survive the crash, but the car she ran off the road - it wasn't yours, sir. The folks in it were pretty banged  
up. They'll be alright, but it wasn't your family. They had a similar car and Ms. Harwood went after them for a good ten miles...but it wasn't your car," the officer  
repeated, trying to get Alex's expression to change.   
  
Alex stared at the officer, unable to speak or even take in what had been said. He looked dumbly at Colin, who spoke for him. "Where are Sara and the kids?"   
  
The officer addressed Alex. "Your wife contacted the police department, looking for you. She and your children are safe at the Stargate Hotel."   
  
Tears of relief streamed down Alex's face and he was nearly overcome with emotion. Escorted by the policeman, he made his way to the hotel where a tired-looking  
Sara awaited him.   
  
"I'm sorry," he said into his wife's shoulder. "I didn't know it would go this far...we'll get out of London, I promise. We'll go back to the ranch." He looked over her  
head and was comforted by the sight of Sam and Mackenzie, sound asleep in the same bed.   
  
"I don't care about that, I'm just glad you're okay," Sara whimpered as she held him. "It's all over now, isn't it?"   
  
"Yes, it's all over," Alex told her, taking her face in his hands, seeing the makeup smudged there and realizing he'd been in makeup the whole time.   
  
"But the basket, and the phone calls..." Sara began, wiping her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me what was going on?"   
  
"I didn't know for sure...I didn't want to scare you," Alex explained. He added in a low tone, "I was scared enough for both of us."   
  
"And now, she's - she's dead?" Sara mouthed with a glance at the sleeping children.   
  
"Yeah...I can't believe it...I..." Alex began quietly, his voice trailing off. Finally he sighed at his wife, whose words also failed her, and they shared a look of unspoken  
horror. Alex suddenly became aware of the hum of the air conditioner, and shuddered although he didn't feel cold. Sara wrapped her arms around him again and  
guided him to the suite's other double bed. He lay down slowly, feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Sara stroked his hair until he fell asleep, and then tried to find  
relief herself. But she was unable to stop thinking about the woman she'd never seen, the "fan" who had nearly taken away everything they cherished.  
  
END  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
I hope ya liked it...please review. It's my first fanfic. Ya know the drill; I don't own CATS or the characters as such, just the people I made up. Which is everyone. Thanks. Please don't sue me. 


End file.
